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L.A. hotel’s video shows bizarre actions of Canadian who later died

VANCOUVER — It could take as long as two months before the cause of Elisa Lam’s death is known through autopsy results, officials said Thursday after early tests proved inconclusive.

The Vancouver woman’s body was found this week in a water tank on the roof of a Los Angeles hotel.

Lam, a former University of B.C. student who was travelling on her own in California, was reported missing by her family on Jan. 31. She had been in touch with them daily when contact suddenly stopped.

Assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said an autopsy was completed Thursday but the cause of death has not been determined.

“If there isn’t any obvious signs of trauma we have to do toxicology and histology and neuropathy tests,” he said.

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Los Angeles police have released disturbing surveillance video of Lam in a hotel elevator. The footage shows Lam, dressed in a red hoodie, shorts and sandals, get into the elevator and press a button, then suddenly poke her head out of the elevator door as if she heard something.

She quickly cowers back into a corner of the elevator before sticking her head out again. She steps out of the elevator for a few seconds and stands near the entrance. Then with her hands raised as if in confusion, she gets back inside the elevator and presses buttons, before stepping out of the elevator once more.

Finally, waving her hands in broad sweeping motions, she almost looks as if she is petting an imaginary dog or conducting an orchestra, before moving out of the camera’s shot.

Calls to the Cecil Hotel, on what is known as L.A.’s skid row, went unanswered Thursday.

Guests in 34 rooms were given the choice to move out of the hotel while water tests were being conducted, but 14 of the guests have chosen to remain. The hotel has shut down its restaurant.

Angelo Bellomo, director of environmental health for the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said water quality tests for indicators of human waste have come back negative.

“Any foreign material containing bacteria would effectively be destroyed by the chlorine,” said Bellomo on Thursday. “That’s probably why we found no viable bacteria in the water system.”

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